Noah was a little kid. He loved animals, video games and Mario Brothers. He was already a very good reader, and had just bought a Ninjago book at a book fair that he was really excited about reading. He was also very excited about going to a birthday party he had been invited to. It was to take place on Saturday, Dec. 15.

If Noah had not been taken from us, he would have become a great man. He would been a wonderful husband and a loving father. He would have been a backbone of our family for years to come. His loss, and our loss, are deep indeed.

- Alexis Haller

From his eulogy for his nephew Noah Pozner, a 6 year old murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary

The iPhone Disrupts Another Industry

Big day for Moveline. We launched our iPhone app. It’s the result of an enormous effort led by our Head of Product, Kelly Eidson, and by our incredible product team which includes Chris Garvis, Adam Gibbons, and Fred Cook. We also couldn’t have launched the app without the help of Ajay Chaiani, Anthony Irwin, and countless amazing Moveline customers who helped test the app. TechCrunch announced the launch this morning, and Kelly wrote an important post breaking down why we built the app. 

We launched the app on the heals of our visit to one of the moving industry’s largest annual conferences: the Employment Relocation Council’s Global Workforce Symposium in Washington D.C. We had the chance to demo the app to a bunch of industry veterans, and their response was humbling. After having built an industry over the course of their careers and having settled into a seemingly thriving status quo, they see Moveline as a product and brand that will change their industry forever. 

As a product, Moveline for iPhone takes advantage of the iPhone’s video camera. The camera is typically used for filming fun videos with friends or for FaceTiming with a loved one. But by coupling the camera with Moveline for iPhone, it disrupts an industry and innovates a process that has existed for over a hundred years. Our app will save movers thousands of hours of time spent doing in-home estimates, not to mention the expenses involved in doing so. And it will save customers millions of dollars spent to compensate for inaccurate inventories they’ve done over a phone call or through an online form. They’ll also be able to save time by doing an inventory once (not multiple times with multiple companies), and at a time that’s most convenient for them. 

As a brand, Moveline is offering something fresh and radically different to people looking to move. We promise, you’ll never see stock photography on our site, and you’ll never read text that we haphazardly threw together. Our customers’ experience is our highest priority, and we’ll always deliver on it through awesome design, seriously great customer service, and an amazing move. We know that customers today expect nothing less from a consumer brand, and we’re psyched to bring this to the moving industry. 

So if you aren’t moving in the near future, tell your friends that are to use Moveline. 

Zach

My youngest brother Zach is one of the most cultured guys I know. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of films when he was about 7 years old. He used to read film encyclopedias out of pure curiosity, and was definitely one of those annoying people that asks a ton questions while watching movies. His interests expanded very early into literature and music. He’s read books I’ve never heard of, and he writes some of the most beautiful and touching poems and short stories that you can find. And I tend to think that I have a decent taste in music, with about 120 gigabytes worth, but Zach crushes me in both quality and quantity. 

But you would never know this about Zach. He’s extremely modest and is just an overall amazing, amazing person. 

More recently, he dipped his feet into standup comedy, and it turns out the guy is hilarious, too. Must watch.

He’ll graduate this fall from Ithaca College, where he’s a writing major, and I can’t wait to see what he does afterwards.

Anyways, Zach just started to blog about his cultural interests over at I Heard In. Check out his first post about the Velvet Underground’s John Cale’s latest album and upcoming concert.

Update the Connector

Whenever someone makes an introduction for you, I think it’s best practice to update the connector on how things went. Here’s why:

  • It’s courteous. If someone went out of their way to reach out to someone else on your behalf, the least you could do is follow up. They’ll likely appreciate it, and it’s a natural way to close the loop. They also won’t be left wondering “whatever happened to X who I introduced to Y.”
  • It can make their day. Telling someone that they helped produce a new, successful relationship will make them feel special. They also might feel as if they had a crucial part in making the relationship happen (which is usually the case). 
  • It can lead to other opportunities. Following up will make the connector more receptive to you asking for other introductions in the future. And even if an introduction didn’t end up being fruitful, the connector might be willing to vouch for you, or offer to introduce you to other people in their network that might be helpful.

Bottom line: follow up!